Mailboxes, particularly those designed for outdoor application, provide easy access for a mail carrier to deposit a mail delivery. However, easy mail carrier access also generally provides easy access for a person intent on improperly removing or examining the contents of an exposed mailbox. In view of the frequent use of mail service to deliver items of inherent value, such as checks, financial account summaries, and credit card information, there is a growing need to provide a lockable arrangement to provide access protection for mail in a mailbox positioned in an exposed or otherwise unprotected location. In the vast majority of mailboxes installed in exposed locations, no such lockable arrangement is generally provided in the design.
Several techniques are known to provide a locking mechanism for a mailbox. Examples of such techniques are provided by H. Ranen in U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,090 entitled “Kit and Method for Field-Modification of a Mailbox to Protect against Mail Theft;” J. L. Hester, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,271 entitled “Mail Box Conversion Kit,” and R. A. Carlson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,603 entitled “Mailbox with Lockable Letter Mail Compartment for Use in Motorized Delivery Routes.”